Operation Anaconda

Operation Anaconda was a major Coalition military operation of the Afghanistan War, occurring after the start of the Taliban insurgency. The Coalition forces were successful in routing the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces from the Shahikot Valley near the Pakistani border, and, although the Taliban evacuation was successful, they suffered heavy losses.

Background
In November 2001, during the opening days of the invasion of Afghanistan, an elite SEAL Team Six squad raided Gardez and obtained intelligence concerning al-Qaeda and Taliban troop deployments in the Shahikot Valley of eastern Afghanistan (60 miles south of Gardez). In February 2002, the al-Qaeda forces in the valley were estimated to have a strength of 150-200 fighters, and it was predicted that high-value insurgent leaders Jalaluddin Haqqani and Saif-ur-Rehman Mansoor were present in the valley, alongside other insurgent leaders who had escaped to Pakistan following the Battle of Tora Bora. The United States and its Coalition allies planned to decimate the terrorist forces in the Shahikot Valley without repeating the mistakes made at Tora Bora; the Coalition forces would attack the valley, and forces would be put in place to block a terrorist withdrawal into Pakistan.

Operation
The al-Qaeda and Taliban forces returned to defensive positions which had been created by the Mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan War just fifteen years earlier, and Tier 1 fire teams were inserted into the area to perform reconnaissance and provide fire support. The US command in Bagram sent in Northern Alliance forces to eliminate insurgent positions, but the higher US command ordered an AC-130 crew to open fire on friendly forces, unaware that the operatives had completed their objectives ahead of the schedule. The surviving Northern Alliance forces panicked and withdrew, forcing Bagram to send in the US Army Rangers, as planned, to eliminate enemy firing positions on several hilltops. The Rangers were inserted from several Chinook helicopters, and they came under heavy mortar and machine-gun fire from Taliban forces in the various mountain passes, with one Chinook being shot down. The Rangers secured several enemy positions and landing zones, but one squad was pinned down at Objective Betty, fighting back overwhelming numbers of insurgents despite being outnumbered, outgunned, and low on ammunition. They were saved when a pair of Apache helicopters rained missiles and bullets onto the Taliban forces, facilitating the Rangers' extraction. The Apaches then moved through the mountains, where they destroyed a Taliban armory to the north of Babulkhel.

Battle of Takur Ghar
From the evening of 4 March to the afternoon of 5 March, a small squad of Navy SEALs battled large numbers of insurgent forces, including al-Qaeda operatives; many of the al-Qaeda fighters were Chechens, who were battle-hardened from the Second Chechen War, well-trained, and equipped with tactical vests and better weapons. The fighting occurred at the tallest mountain in the valley, Takur Ghar, and the SEALs launched a fighting retreat with assistance from Delta Force snipers, and they managed to make it to a landing zone. However, the Chinook helicopter came under heavy fire and only succeeded in evacuating two of the four SEALs, leaving the other two SEALs stranded. The two SEALs who were being extracted decided to defy orders and re-insert, and they were wounded captured while searching for their comrades. The US command at Bagram defied the higher command and sent in the Rangers for a rescue mission, and they succeeded in rescuing the two missing SEALs and one of the captives; the other, Neil C. Roberts, was killed at close range. It was reported that 200 al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters were killed at Takur Ghar alone.

Wrap-up
On 10 March 2002, Major Brian Hilferty declared that the main battle had ended three or four days ago, and 400 US troops were sent back to base. On 12 March 2002, the exhausted men of Task Force Rakkasan were repalced by fresh troops from the US 10th Mountain Division, who continued to clear the southern end of the valley. Following heavy bombing by US strike fighter aircraft, joint US and Afghan forces swept through the valley and cleared it of remaining insurgent forces. Up to 800 rebels and 14 civilians were killed, while an undetermined number of insurgents escaped through the rugged terrain to Pakistan or elsewhere. On 17 March 2002, a convoy suspected to be carrying high-value targets was intercepted as it headed towards the Pakistani border, and 18 well-equipped Uzbek, Chechen, and Arab foreign fighters were killed, while 2 were wounded and detained. On 18 March 2002, General Tommy Franks declared the operation over and an "unqualified and complete success", although key al-Qaeda leaders, likely including Osama Bin Laden, escaped.